Man Ray - Photographs - First Monograph, Signed and Inscribed (1934)

FIRST EDITION OF MAN RAY’S FIRST MONOGRAPH, SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY MAN RAY: “For Hana Mackler / man Ray Paris 1962”. With a portrait by Picasso and illustrated throughout with gravure reproductions of Man Ray’s photographs, rayograms, and potraits. With additional striking portraits of James Joyce, Salvador Dali, Matisse, Le Corvusier, DuChamp, Picasso, Braque, Derain, and many other of the leading artists of the century. Texts by Andre Breton, Paul Eluard, Rrose Selavy, and Tristan Tzara.

“Photographs 1920-1934, Man Ray’s 1934 collection, was a carefully assembled survey, a tribute that, through its format and choice of texts, revealed much about the artist’s conception of himself… A book was the ultimate form of legacy artists were meant to leave behind. Photographs 1920-1934 was Man Ray’s most cogent statement to date, an assembled chorus of statements and images, a summary that was also a valedictory” (Baldwin, Man Ray, American Artist).

Hartford, Connecticut & New York City: James Thrall Soby & Random House, (1934). Quarto, original spiral-bound photo-pictorial stiff wrappers. Wear at lower left corner of cover, small crease to lower right of cover. An exceptional copy of one of the most important photobooks of the 20th century, very rare signed.

Second issue (as almost always) with the cancel title with the fictitious statement “second edition”: the publisher "attempted to generate demand where none existed by suggesting the edition had sold out... copies with the original title page are exceedingly rare" (Roth, 101 Books). Roth 80.

Provenance: The dedicatee, Hana Mackler was the well-known boot and fashion designer.